Mandiwanzira – through his lawyer Advocate Brian Hungwe instructed by Dube, Manikai and Hwacha Legal Practitioners – wants Masiyakurima, popularly known as Bopela in business circles, to pay him $300 000 for damages caused by his Facebook posts alleging that the minister was corrupt and that the Nyanga North legislator was an accomplice in the plunder of Marange diamonds.

The summons, which Masiyakurima has 10 days to enter his defence or not, allege through his Facebook page, the businessman defamed the minister when he alleged that “he sold his wife to another man for the love of money”.

“In Facebook posts between January 2 and 7, 2017, the defendant (Masiyakurima) made defamatory allegations that the plaintiff was a thief and a liar given to name-dropping, who falsely used the First Family name to acquire State entities like Telecel for personal gain,” part of the summons filed by the minister read.

Court papers stated that Masiyakurima used his Facebook page to allow other people to attack Mandiwanzira by publishing lies and defamatory statements against the minister.

“The defamatory posts defamed the plaintiff in that it is suggested that he has a corrupt relationship with the First Lady, that his alleged theft of public funds has a hereditary bearing to his mother who was or is a whore and a thief, that he sold his wife to another man for the love of money and his business companies are a result of him trading his wife,” the court papers stated.

“The posts are not only untrue in many respects, but defamatory. The posts were widely published with the intention of casting aspersions on the character of the plaintiff (Mandiwanzira).”